http://mmajunkie.comCALGARY – Francisco Rivera put on a boxing display Saturday night, and he made it look easy.

Rivera came out swinging, very calmly landing heavy hands as Roland Delorme covered up early in the fight. But perhaps more impressive than his offense was his defense and counter-striking, which is what led to his first-round knockout, which came 4:19 into the fight.

The bantamweight bout was part of the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 149 event at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. It aired on FX following additional prelims on Facebook and prior to the main card on pay-per-view.

Rivera landed punches and kicks almost at will against Delorme throughout the first round, and took minimal damage himself. Rivera masterfully ducked out of the way of most of Delorme’s strikes, leaving the Canadian hitting nothing but air inches away from Rivera’s head.

And it was that slipping and ducking that contributed to the finish of the fight. Delorme threw a big right, and Rivera slipped just out of the way of it and threw a short left hook that was on the button. Delorme buckled, and Rivera landed two more rights on the ground before the fight was stopped.

“I’m so happy. I trained my ass off every day, and as you guys can see, that’s what happens,” Rivera said. “My mom’s been sick, and this is the only way to show her that we’re still fighting for her and this is the way to prove to her that I still love her.”

Rivera (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) made it two straight in the UFC and four straight overall with the knockout victory. After losing his UFC debut, Rivera was released from the company and won two straight by first-round knockout to get the call to return. After winning his first two UFC fights by submission, Delorme (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) lost for the first time in the UFC.

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